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<title>'All of her victims have been men' by donttouchtheneednoggle</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29490012">'All of her victims have been men'</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/donttouchtheneednoggle/pseuds/donttouchtheneednoggle'>donttouchtheneednoggle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Merlin bingo fills [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Gwen (Merlin), Episode: s04e08 Lamia, Gen, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Nonbinary Merlin (Merlin), Sort Of, Trans Elyan (Merlin), he's unconscious the entire time gay disaster that he is but he's there and he's relevant, themrys rising</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:01:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,167</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29490012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/donttouchtheneednoggle/pseuds/donttouchtheneednoggle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Gwen and Merlin's conversation had gone on for just a little longer?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen &amp; Merlin (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Merlin bingo fills [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2281199</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Merlin Bingo</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>'All of her victims have been men'</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for Merlin Bingo prompt 'Lamia'</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gwen sat with Elyan’s head resting in her lap, miserable and terrified but still thinking.</p><p>Elyan, Percival, Gwaine, Leon. What did they have in common that could make them so susceptible to the spell, and herself and Merlin immune?</p><p>"I don't understand it. Why have only the knights been enchanted? Why not us as well?"</p><p>Merlin was standing stiffly, facing away from her. "You're a woman."</p><p>Gwen screwed up her nose. He knew full well that did not stop her from being attracted to women. “So?"</p><p>"All of her victims have been men."</p><p>"So why haven't you fallen under her spell?"</p><p>A pause. "I've just been lucky, I suppose."</p><p>"There must be a reason."</p><p>"Maybe it's because I'm not a knight."</p><p>Gwen frowned. It sounded like Merlin was really grasping at straws now. "The three villagers weren't knights, either."</p><p>“Who knows.”</p><p>Gwen shook her head. “There's something about you, Merlin. It's the way she looks at you, as if you were the enemy.”</p><p>Merlin seemed to ignore that. "Maybe it's only if you like women."</p><p>Gwen frowned again. "But then only myself, Gwaine and Percival would be enchanted." She paused. "Wait, <em>you</em> like women, what are you on about?"</p><p>Merlin looked stubborn but then relented. "I do," he admitted.</p><p>"No, it's something else."</p><p>Merlin sighed heavily and pressed his forehead against the wall. "Maybe it is just men," he mumbled.</p><p>"But-" She stopped and looked at him. Merlin was finally looking back at her, his eyes wide with trepidation. “You’re… a man?”</p><p>Slowly, her friend shook his head.</p><p>“Oh,” she said quietly.</p><p>Merlin squirmed. “It’s… complicated.”</p><p>Gwen heart wrenched at her friend's discomfort. "It's ok Merlin, I know you can be something different to how you were born."</p><p>Merlin's head jerked up, hope lighting his eyes. “You… do?”</p><p>She nodded, carefully not glancing at her brother. That was not her information to share.</p><p>"So," she ventured. "You're a woman?" She supposed if it could go one way the opposite would be possible. And it would explain the dress.</p><p>Merlin looked at her and shook his head silently.</p><p>Confusion swirled her mind, but she was more worried about making Merlin feel more comfortable.</p><p>“So are you not a he then?”</p><p>Merlin’s face screwed up. “Not really.”</p><p>She nodded understandingly. “What can I use instead?”</p><p>“They,” they murmured, looking frightened, as if they were saying too much. She reached out carefully to touch their leg. “It’s ok Merlin. Your secret’s safe with me.”</p><p>Their eyes widened and filled with something like recognition, or sadness, or maybe longing and also hope still. “I’m not really… either, see.”</p><p>Gwen felt helpless. "I'm sorry Merlin, I don't quite understand." She touched their leg cautiously again.  "Do you think you could help me to?"</p><p>They sighed again and nodded. They slid down the wall to sit next to her, eyes still full of that desperate hope.</p><p>“I’m neither.” They shrugged. “I just... don’t get what makes someone a man or a woman. It’s not… my body, that doesn’t bother me, I just… I don’t know what else makes me that. There’s just kind of nothing there. Maybe it sounds ridiculous, I just-“</p><p>“Does it bother you, when people call you a man?”</p><p>They bit their lip, and nodded.</p><p>“It’s not even a big thing!” they burst out. “It’s not like- I’ll die when it happens, or start crying. I can bear it, it's just- just <em>wrong</em>,  it makes me feel sick. It’s like sandpaper, it’s like-“</p><p>They broke off and pushed a shaking hand through their hair. “I’m sorry, this is stupid. I know it makes no sense, we’re in so much danger, I don’t know why-“</p><p>“Merlin!” she cut across them, placing her hand on their arm. “It’s all right. Thank you for telling me.”</p><p>She paused. “Wait, can I still call you Merlin? Is there another name you’d prefer?”</p><p>They shrugged, wiping their face roughly. “Nah… I like Merlin.”</p><p>Her heart wrenched miserably at the tears glittering in their eyes. “Oh, Merlin, I wish you’d have told me sooner.”</p><p>Merlin’s face twisted in a bitter grimace. “Yeah, well, unfortunately it’s not exactly safe to say you’re something out of the ordinary in Camelot.”</p><p>Gwen flinched, remembering how Elyan had struggled, and eventually left and returned only when she and Leon would still know him. How they'd worried about him, how they still did.</p><p>“Of course. I’m sorry.”</p><p>They shrugged, “It’s ok.”</p><p>She reached out and took their hand. “You know you’ve got me right? I swear I would never tell anyone. I know people it would be safe to tell, but we can talk about all that later. You've got me now. Whatever.”</p><p>She got a proper Merlin smile then, beaming in a way she hadn’t seen since Lancelot’s death. “Thank you Gwen.”</p><p>It was so infectious that Gwen couldn’t not smile too. “Hey, you know, if you want… I don’t know if you would want to… but you can always borrow my dresses.”</p><p>They laughed and shrugged, that smile still on their face. “I guess dresses are pretty. I don’t really get why men can’t wear them honestly.”</p><p>She laughed too. “Well, feel free to help yourself.” She nudged them playfully. “You won’t have to steal them then.”</p><p>They blushed at that. “No that was- that wasn’t- oh you know what never mind.”</p><p>They reached out and put a hand on her arm, earnest now. “Thank you for listening,” they said quietly.</p><p>Gwen smiled back, squeezing their hand. “Anytime. And about anything.” She looked right at them, trying to make them see how much she meant it. “You know I’ll love you whatever right?”</p><p>They looked at her suddenly then, eyes wide and hopeful and <em>longing</em> again. They opened their mouth-</p><p>An agonised scream shattered the still air.</p><p>Terror clutched at Gwen's heart again. <em>Gwaine…</em></p><p>Merlin seemed to be thinking the same. “Whatever you do, don't leave this room,” they ordered.</p><p>Before she could react they jumped up and ran out of the room.</p><p>Unarmed.</p><p>When Elyan’s sword was lying right there.</p><p>Gwen’s head spun.</p><p>She knew Merlin's habit of running into terrible danger without so much as armour to protect them, but there was a sword <em>right there</em>. Arthur would call it stupidity, but Gwen wasn’t such a fool.</p><p>Lamia hadn’t looked at <em>her</em> like she was the enemy.</p><p>A thought rose unbidden in the back of her mind, several thoughts actually, but she pushed them down.</p><p>Later. Freak out later.</p><p>She leaned down to kiss Elyan’s forehead.</p><p>“Stay here,” she told him fiercely, convinced that, despite him being unconscious and the only danger currently occupied chasing Merlin, her brother would find some way to get into trouble.</p><p>She picked up the sword and steeled herself before running out of the room.</p><p>There would be time to think later. To talk, at length. To make sure Merlin knew they really did have her, whatever.</p><p>Right now, whoever they were, her best friend was in trouble and they needed her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments and kudos appreciated &lt;3</p><p>Come hang out on <a href="https://donttouchtheneednoggle.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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